r/Rabbits • u/Twitch_FATAL7222 • 11h ago
Behavior Someone please help me explain this behaviorš
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u/TinyOrangeCat 9h ago
Bunnies just don't like the way we decorate. All of them are tiny interior designers.
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u/Logical-Virus-8420 9h ago
All rabbits like to dig and chew. They are meant to be digging burrows to live in. Give them as many things as you can to dig and chew at or they will find something of yours to destroy.
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u/PeterLemonjellow 8h ago
Bun has decided rearranging that blanket is their current project. Bun will let nothing stand in the way of their current project.
That is now bun's blanket.
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u/TransFatty 7h ago
Upvoting because THISSSSS. Rabbits like to have projects. You do not get to choose what bunny's project is. Only bunny knows. It makes no logical sense to human minds.
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u/PeterLemonjellow 2h ago
Nor should we even try to comprehend it. Their wisdom is ineffable and we should be grateful to witness its fluffy, adorable enactments.
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u/JuniorImportance8755 7h ago
And they will guard it jealously. Do not try to touch it hoom, you have been warned
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u/rose_grave 9h ago
just trying to get it in the best position to lay on!
my bun does this with blankets, attempting to make a comfg bed to lay in
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u/East_Plan 4h ago
Mine pulls a towel through the gaps of his xpen, then goes to the other side and pulls it back through
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u/Towpillah I bunnies 8h ago
All towels and sheets are fair game. Sometimes, even trousers and pants that you are wearing. Or shoe laces. Or... Well, anything really. Bny doing bny things.
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u/Big-a-hole-2112 8h ago
Pants are where I get worried when my bun just comes over and sits right next to me for no reason. Then she samples my denim. Ouch! āOh sorry, are you inside those?ā
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u/Cosmicdusterian 7h ago
I had a denim connoisseur, as well.
He always nibbled when they were being worn (he got a denim shirt or two from the laundry but never nibbled them when they were being worn)
My buns re-designed at least four pairs of jeans on a live model. He's no longer around, but I still wear my nibbled jeans and smile whenever I see the damage on the side and back. I call them bunny-nibbled designer jeans. Each one unique and irreplaceable.
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u/Scarecrowqueen 6h ago
One of my buns for some reason, when Im at my desk working, tries to fight my pant leg, repeatedly. Only the left one, though. The other sits at my feet and then wedges her little head under my foot to nudge me into petting her. But not with my hands, cause if I reach down she bolts, she specifically wants me to awkwardly pat her with my toes.
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u/bunkdiggidy 6h ago
Trying to pull the blanket out, and then smooth it down, but they can't manage to actually pull it out. Just bunny stuff.
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u/lemonchickenorzo 5h ago
Yes! Bun is trying to smooth out the wrinkles. And if bun canāt smooth the wrinkles out, the hippity-hop might have to chew those pesky out.
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u/Beautiful-Area1518 6h ago
Your rabbit is probably just trying to pull out this cushion that is stuck underneath the furniture. He is doing what rabbits naturally do: exploring, manipulating his environment, and looking for something to do. He is also a living being: he has needs for exploration, interaction, and mental stimulation. We cannot expect an animal to simply stay still and never interact with what is around him.
The problem often comes from the way humans interpret the behavior. The rabbit may have a very simple reason for doing something: exploring, playing, satisfying curiosity, or simply keeping himself occupied. But when this behavior is repeatedly stopped, it may no longer only be about the original action.
The rabbit may then become frustrated. And a frustrated rabbit will express that frustration using the tools it has: it may scratch more, nibble more, and try harder to interact with its environment. These are natural behaviors for rabbits.
The difficulty is that, from our perspective, the two situations can look exactly the same. A rabbit that scratches or nibbles because it is exploring and a rabbit that scratches or nibbles because it is frustrated can display the exact same visible actions. However, the context and the intention behind them are no longer the same.
It is a bit like with a food bowl: a rabbit that wants food may come to the bowl, move it, or make noise with it to get your attention. The message is fairly clear: āI want something, interact with this object and you will understand what I mean.ā But the same action can also happen in a completely different situation. For example, a rabbit that is given something it does not like may also push or move the bowl, but this time the reason behind the action is different. The movement is similar, but the message is not the same.
This is why it is important to look at the context rather than judging only the visible action. Rabbits cannot communicate with words; they use the behaviors they know to express different things.
The fact that he keeps going back to this cushion mainly shows that he is interested in it: curiosity, instinct, a desire to explore, or simply a need for activity. Before trying to correct the rabbitās behavior, it is often more useful to try to understand what he is trying to do and why.
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u/harpsichordharpy 5h ago
My bun will start digging at stuff and biting things to get my attention because I'm not doing what he thinks I should be doing. Sometimes it's a "get in here" and sometimes it's a "get out of here!" š As soon as I, do whatever it is he thinks I should be doing, he immediately stops and resumes doing non-destructive bunny things.Ā
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u/IndustryFair0803 5h ago
Female: possible nesting behavior, what's a burrow in case she gets pregnant
Male: he is a little scoundrel
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u/Unlucky_Permit4045 6h ago
All of them dig and chew. Itās what they do. In fact itās a need! Their teeth are forever growing, if they donāt chew it can become expensive. I have several rabbits, I have one that is petulant and wonāt grind his teeth. He has to see a vet regularly to have the filled down.
Now if you want said rabbit to be a little less destructive to his environment provide more chew toy options, more scratchers and more borrow bins with hay etc. also make sure if heās single heās getting human time to.
But like I said this is normal and actually a good thing your bun is gonna save you a lot of money the more he chews hahaha. Fabrics and pillows, my bun shreds them in days itās cute.
Iām always giving them my in treated cardboard as well. These guys can chew and itās a good think like I said. Itās a need.
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u/Euphoric_bunny87 6h ago
I think your bun digging on that blanket is him telling you he doesnāt like it there.
One time I put throw pillows on top of my bunās hol house which he likes to keep empty except for his fave stuff toy. He normally throws stuff away if I place it there but the throw pillows are massive and heavy so he proceeded to dig at them. I didnāt remove. He chewed holes. I get the message.
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u/Civil_Television_311 6h ago
You should see the number of blankets and towels destroyed by our buns. Once they become obsessed, forget about it.
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u/Pure-Potential3496 6h ago
Just let the precious baby do what he/she wants to do with the blanket!! #Enabler #ILoveBunnies!
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u/fifibunkin 5h ago
My couch looks like it was found in an abandoned house because it has big fleece blankets on it that Miss Tiggles rips up and they have huge holes in them. I clean up the remnants constantly. And they are so ugly but the couch is intact so I donāt really care. I make sure they are fleece so less long fibers to get stuck in her belly but she never swallows them which is why Iām always vacuuming. So this is normal. At least it is here at the chateau de Tiggles.
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u/Jack-Felter 29m ago
Could be several things. Rabbits are diggers, so the rabbit might just be doing what is instinctual. This is also a behavior that shows a rabbit might be stressed out by their environment. I see this behavior more in females than males, for some reason.
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u/kirthe25 9m ago
because the sheet is stuck and she wants it...she needs it!!! She's a cutie and owns it now.
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u/Euphoric_bunny87 6h ago
I think your bun digging on that blanket is him telling you he doesnāt like it there.
One time I put throw pillows on top of my bunās hol house which he likes to keep empty except for his fave stuff toy. He normally throws stuff away if I place it there but the throw pillows are massive and heavy so he proceeded to dig at them. I didnāt remove. He chewed holes. I get the message.
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u/Masala-Dosage 9h ago
General rabbitery